Increases in cerebral cortical perfusate adenosine and inosine concentrations during hypoxia and ischemia

The cerebral cortical cup technique was used to monitor changes in adenosine and inosine levels in the rat cerebral cortex during periods of hypoxia, anoxia, or hemorrhagic hypotension. Basal levels of adenosine and inosine in cortical perfusates stabilized within 10 min at concentrations of 30-50 and 75-130 nM, respectively. Comparable levels were observed in normal CSF collected from the cisterna magna. Reductions in the oxygen content of the inspired air (14, 12, 8, and 5% oxygen) resulted in increases in the adenosine and inosine levels in the cortical perfusates, the magnitude of the increase being progressively more pronounced with greater reductions in the oxygen content. Cerebral anoxia/ischemia, induced by 100% nitrogen inhalation, caused a rapid increase in the adenosine and inosine contents of the cortical perfusates. Hemorrhagic hypotension (46.1 +/- 1.7 mm Hg) of 5 min duration did not result in an elevated adenosine or inosine release. The results suggest that interstitial fluid adenosine levels are likely to be in the low nM range in the normoxic animal and are capable of rapid increases during hypoxic or anoxic episodes. The findings support the adenosine hypothesis of CBF regulation.